Diwali: the festival of lights and a time for sweet treats
- Emily Hancock
- Oct 19, 2017
- 3 min read
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Light. It is one of the most widely celebrated religious festivals in the world, with festivities taking place across Asia and the Pacific and in Hindu, Sikh, Jain and some Buddhist communities across the globe. This colourful, joyous celebration is a time to spend with family and friends. Families clean the house and decorate it with candles and lights, give gifts to each other, and cook and eat together. The festival is often marked with huge firework displays.
The timing of the festival, which lasts between 3 and 5 days depending on region, is calculated according to the position of the moon in the Hindu lunar calendar. It falls on the Hindu New Moon, the darkest night in Autumn; hence lighting the house with lanterns, lamps and candles. This means that the date of Diwali changes every year, but it usually falls in late October or early November. This year, the festival starts on 19th October.
For Hindus, the story behind Diwali differs according to where they live. In North India Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama and his wife Sita after his fourteen year exile under the demon king Ravana. South India celebrates it as Deepavali, the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura. In Bengal, the festival is dedicated to worshipping Mother kali, the dark goddess of strength. However despite these different stories, the meaning of Diwali remains constant for all: it is a celebration of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair.
The making, giving and eating of sweets is an important part of the festival. Sweetmeats known as ‘mithai’ are eaten throughout the week as snacks or with savoury meals. The making of these sweets is an important social activity for the women of the family, and around a month before the festival starts women gather in each other’s kitchens to make the snacks. Endless different types of sweets are made. Typically chickpea flour, rice flour, semolina, various beans, lentils and grains, squashes, carrots, thickened condensed milk or yoghurt are used as base ingredients; to which cashews, almonds, pistachios, or raisins are added. Fragrant flavours are then added using sweet spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg. Other snacks are fried: gulab jamun, for example, are deep-fried dumplings soaked in sugar syrup.
Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones!
We work with a community of bakers who can specialise in sweet and savoury cultural delicacies. Have a look on our website to browse our delicious range of treats from around the world: https://www.mybaker.co/
Fancy having a go at making your own Diwali sweets? Here’s a recipe for a simple pumpkin halwa.
Pumpkin Halwa
Ingredients:
450g/1lb pumpkin, courgettes, bottle gourd or carrots
550ml/1 pint milk
1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed
1 tbsp sultanas
2 tbsp clarified (or unsalted) butter
8 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp halved cashews, flaked almonds, and pistachio slivers, lightly toasted
1 tsp rosewater or screwpine essence (optional, but do not be tempted to add more)
silver leaf, chirongi nuts and watermelon seeds (available in Indian grocers), and red rose petals to garnish (optional)
Method:
Trim, peel and finely grate the vegetables.
Combine them with milk, cardamom and sultanas in a large non-stick frying pan.
Heat gently and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Cook until the vegetables are tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently as the mixture thickens.
Add butter, sugar, nuts, and rosewater or screwpine essence if using, and stir well.
Spread halwa out in a shallow pan to cool; garnish.
When cool, cut into squares and serve.
(Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pumpkinhalwa_73020)